Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Poppy War

This was not my genre. I read it anyway based on the rave reviews on tiktok. I really appreciated the ways the story probed our ethics of war and the ways people wield power within themselves. I also enjoyed the mythology. I think it dragged on at times and the graphic, unrelenting details of how cruelly we treat our enemies was simply unbearable.

Content Warnings

melizzya's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wanted to love this book and I did, with a small exception. I appreciated its social critique and historical inspiration from the second Sino-Japanese war and even did some additional research to verify the real events and their historical context. If you are interested, I highly recommend reading readbytiffany's blogpost about The Poppy War.

The narrative doesn't shy away from harsh realities, particularly the parallel to the Rape of Nanjing in Chapter 21. This section was especially difficult to digest due to its graphic depiction of war crimes, making me wish I could have skipped it. However, it did contribute to Rin's character development, and helped me better understand her character arc, so I didn't find it completely unnecessary.

Unfortunately, I didn't connect deeply with most characters, except for Rin, and I hope they'll develop further in the second part. Despite this, I couldn't put the book down and loved the blend of history, shamanism, and ancient gods. It is not an easy read, definitely not for the faint hearted but I still recommend giving it a try.

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bakkuababy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this was INSANE

Spoiler

the parallel of rin from when we first meet her to when the story ends is fucking crazy she did a whole 180. basically became altan which is rlly sad bc that man SUFFERED. he wasn’t the most likeable character but it was very easy to empathise with him. Also did nezha die or what like I believe this man is a shaman like I need more of him

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florendie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I felt like I read two books in one. The first part was pleasant enough but somewhat unsurprising in terms of narration and story. Then, things got darker and more graphic. I liked that there were references to Chinese culture and history, that was new to me. But the story in itself overall felt familiar and predictable, like I've read similar stories before. It was still a fairly good read though.

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cowardlyteaman's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is my second R. F. Kuang book, and she never seems to disappoint.

There's so much to say here that I'm sure other readers in these reviews can express much better than me.
Currently in history class, we're learning about the history of Emperial Japan (where much of it is also taught from the perspective of the Chinese), and the parallels are prominent. Sometimes it becomes hard to distinguish between what is real and what is fiction, because just like the Mugenese, the Japanese soldiers were terrible—terrible—terrible.

There's so much of this book to praise, and I did love Rin for a while. However, as she continued to go against her master's advice, I continued to dislike her. I see where her need is coming from, but it was very frustrating and frankly quite uninspiring to read about these very predictable consequences to her horribly naïve decisions.
This, however, is the ONLY complaint I had about the book, and I still very much enjoyed the book. I am looking forward to the coming books!

I deeply recommend this book, but be aware of the warnings. Many of the warnings are descriptions and mentions made from character's rather than the direct actions, but they can still be disturbing.

Content Warnings

teddy_books's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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